Container



Sept. 15,1931.

.1. M. HOTHERSALL 1,823,046

CONTAINER Filed Nov. 1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- 'INVENTO Mm/f we ATTORN EY6 J. M. HOTHERSALL Sept. 15, 1931.

CONTAINER Filed Nov. 1, 192 2 Sheets-Sheer. 2

Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN M. HOTHERSALL,OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK,N.Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY CONTAINER Application filed November1, 1926. Serial No. 145,420.

The invention relates to containers and to closures therefor and hasspecific reference to scaling strips or hands for securing covers tocontainers of the heavy type, such as'lead kegs, heavy paint containers,and the like.

An important object of the invention is to provide such a closure, thatmay be made or formed of strip stock, and which will not only serve asan efiicient, strong and durable seal, but will also be easy to remove,and which is also adapted to serve as a temporary reclosure afterremoval.

Another important object of the invention is to provide such a closurethat may be as sembled into uniform clamping engagement with a containerand cover parts without regard to the location of the overlapped ends,and that has uniform exterior dimensions so that an assembly die mayuniformly engage the strip to insure uniform clamping engagementirrespective of the position of the overlaps. Indeed, the invention isbroad enough to include the idea of making the sealing band endless andseamless, and thereby eliminate 5 the lapping of the ends.

Another important object of the invention is to'provide a closure thatis formed so as to permit the overlapping ends to interlock and to makesuch interlocked portions smooth and inconspicuous after the applyingtool has performed its work.

Another important object of the invention is to form the peripheraledges of the sealing strip in such fashion, and to space them relativeto container and cover parts in such a manner, that either one of suchedges may be easily accessible and may be engaged with a pointed pryingofi' instrument, such as a claw hammer, to start the removal of thestrip.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a closurewhich is simple and economical to manufacture, neat in ap pearance, andwhich also performs the additional functions of a-reinforcing member forcontainers which are subject to rough handling, both in the fillingplant and in transit.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a heavycontainer for material such as lead, paints, and the like, that isformed with ends of unlike diameters so that one end of one containerwill nest within an end of another container to facilitate stacking. Indevices of this character provided heretofore the opposite ends of thecontainer were of like diameters and when stacked one on the other theseamed edge of one end required exact positioning upon the seamed end ofanother container to permit stacking and if a. column of such containerswere slightly jarred the seamed ends would move out of alignment causingthe stack to tip over. In forming the containers in accordance with myinvention the seamed end such as the top of one container nests withinthe seamed end or bottom of another container and the containers arethereby locked in axial alignment so that the stack may be carried to aconsiderable height and will not tip over on account of vibrations orjarring. N 0 extra care isrequlred in placing the containers one on theother since one seam guides-the other to locate the containers.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a method ofclosing a container that will permit of the ready removal or the removalof the cover thereof by a peeling ac- .tion and permit of reclosing orre-attaching the cover to the container.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention wlll be apparentas it is better understood from the following description,

which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses apreferred em bodiment thereof.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view (if a container showing the cover sealingstrip in completely applied position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the container with the sealing stripcompletely applied thereto Fig. 3 is an enlarged section takensubstantially on the lines 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken substan tially on the line H of Fig.2, and showing a part of a claw-hammer in position to pry I off theclosure at either of two points. This View also shows a double layer ofmetal at the overlapping points of the sealing strip;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the two ends of the sealingstrip in overlappedrelation before thestrip is completely applied;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the lapped ends ofthe sealing strip interlocked by means of the corrugation;

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 3 but taken along the lines 7-7 of Fig.1, in other words through one of the indentations 25;

Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged sectional views similar to Fig. 3, showingmodified ways of applying the sealing ring; and

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing the nesting of the containerswhen stacked.

To illustrate my invention I have shown a container body 11, a cover 12and a cover sealing strip or band 13. The container body 11, cover 12and strip 13 are of the type and character shown in my copendingapplication Serial No. 24,046, filed April 13th, 1925. (Patent Number1,713,830 of May 21', 1929):

The body 11 may be of any suitable form but preferably with a necked-inpart 14 near the top and terminating into a rolled flange or bead 15.The cover 12 may also be of any suitable form but preferably with acentral raised part 16, lower channel part 17 vertical wall part 18,terminating into a rounded flange part 19 and conforming in shape to therolled part 15 of the container top, and adapted to be supported by saidcontainer part 15. r

The cover sealing device or strip 13 may be formed of any suitablematerial of suflicient strength, thickness and pliability and may beformed by punching and forming an annulus out of plate stock or bycutting stock into strips and then bringing the strips to annular form,according as to whether an endless and seamless sealing ring or asealing strip with overlapped ends is more desirable for particularneeds.

In the present instance I have shown the band 13 formed of strip stock.The ends 20 of each strip may be secured together in any suitable mannerto provide a continuous band and this band is preferably of inverted Ushape, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. While said U shaped strip may haveits surface perfectly smooth and even, it is shown with ribsorcorrugations 21, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6. Only aportion of the band is provided with corrugations 21, these may extendtransversely of the band from within a, curled edge or outer bead 23 towithin an inner bead 22 and may be provided throughout the entirecircumference of the band, or throughout small portions of thecircumference. In the present instance I have shown these corrugationsextending from a short.

distance within the outer bead 23 to adjacent thedomed center of theband, it not being thought necessary to extend these a greater distancetoward the inner bead. The corrugations 21 may be of any suitable depthand are preferably of a depth slightly in excess of the thickness of themetal. These corrugations may be formed in the strip before the strip isr'ought to annular form or after- Wards, and are preferably formedbefore so that uniform curls may be obtained in the forming dies, and sothat the forming dies will compress the corrugations 21 inthe overlappedportions of the strip so as to form a strip of substantially uniformexterior dimensions. These corrugations 21 have several substantialadvantages over a smooth surfaced sealing band. When they are carried tothe very ends 20 of the strip. any

special securing means for the ends 20 can be dispensed with since thecorrugations of the overlapped ends substantially interlock with eachother and provide a secure end seal. When a closing tool of the typeillustrated in my copending application Serial N 0. 157,205 filed Dec.27, 1926, is applied to this sealing band and the band is squeezed tofinished sealing form there is a double thickness of sealing band metalwhere the sealing baud ends 20 overlap each other and since this doublethickness of metal naturally ofiers earlier and greater resistance tothe closing die jaws the corrugations 21 of the overlapped parts of thesealing band are pressed or ironed out and smooth engagement of the endsis the result, while the corrugations on the non-lapped, singlethickness part of the sealing band are substantially unaffected, andsimply help to fill out the concave groove of the closing tool andcompensate for the double thickness of the overlapped ends.- It will beapparent too, that the corrugations 21 in the sealing band 13 help tomake such hand even stronger and more shock resisting than a smoothsurface strip would, and at the sametime reinforce the edge of thecontainer top to a corresponding extent. The inner edge of the strip isor may be rolled back upon itself to provide a bead 22. The forming ofthe strip, as above mentioned, is preferably accomplished by theapparatus shown in my copending application Serial No. 23,476, filedApril 16th, 1925, and the band may be assembled in any suitable mannerto secure the cover to the container and preferably by the method shownin my copending application. first above mentione When the sealingband13 has been com- I pletely clamped home by the said applying tool itassumes the position shown in crosswction in Figs. 3 and 4, the lattershowing the double thickness of metal produced by the overlapping of theends.

seal, but being also a little harder to remove. Fig. 9 shows the bodytop flange bent around a reinforcing wire 24 and the outer end part ofthe sealing strip being curved in I a corresponding manner to closelyhug said body flange. This modification shows a container topconstruction of superstrength which may be desirable for specialpurposes.

Reference numeral 25 indicates a number of indentations on the undersideof the completely pressed home sealing strip. These indentations areproduced as an incident to the squeezing operation of the closing tool.In applying the band 13 its diameter is naturally decreased, the metalis contracted and the displaced metal must have some outlet. Theapplying tool is preferably so constructed that the slack of the metalis taken up by these indentations 25, which also help to re.- in-forcethe sealing strip.

A preferred manner of removing the seallng band 13 will now bedescribed:

The band may be removed by inserting a pointed instrument into theopening 31 in one of the ends 20 of the band and using the rim for afulcrum prying the band off and owing to the cover being formed with thechannel part- 17, suflicient prying space is left between said channelpart 17 and the inner bead 22 of the sealing strip so that the point 27of a claw hammer or any other suitable prying otf tool may be insertedtherebetween, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the corner 28formed by the central raised part 16 and the declining wall part 29serving as a fulcrum for the claw hammer. .The sharp end 27"of the clawhammer may also be illserted between the vertical wall or necked-in part14 and the outer bead 23 of the sealing strip (See Fig. 4), the outerand longer leg of the inverted U-shape sealing strip being of suchpredetermined length that when the sealing strip is completely appliedsaid outer head 23 will stop short of said vertical wall of said neckedin part 14 a sufficient distance to permit the insertion of said clawhammer point or other suitable prying ofl instrument. The pryin off orloosening of the sealing strip should be started at the overlappededges. and if this procedure'is followed it will be easy to peel off theremainder of the strip by hand. It will also be found that when the bandis thus removed it will substantially regain its original U shape andwill permit the ultimate consumer to clamp it back by hand upon thecontainer and cover and it will then serve as a reclosure.

It will also be noted that the circular hole 31 appears in Fig. 5adjacent the outer bead 23 near the overla ped end portions. Thisaperture is or may be provided to permit the insert-ion of a pointedinstrument forassisting in the removal of the seal.

A. rubber rin gasket '30 or any suitable lining compound is or may beinterposed between the rolled part 16 and the container top and coverflange. This will produce a liquid tight seal. 7

The novelconstuction of the container top also permits concentricstacking of the containers, one upon another, as illustrated (Fig. 10)with convenient nesting of the bottom of the upper container upon the.top of the lower container so as to form a column of stacked containerswhich is very compact for shipping purposes and substantially se cureagainst accidental displacement.

It has been found in practice that by drawing the central raised part 16with a bend 28 to form the channel 17 the weakest parts of the containertop have been located around said channel part 17 and around said bend28 and experimental drop tests have revealed the fact that when a filledcontainer is dropped edgewise against the chime or any other part of thesealing band the shock is taken up by the weakest points of thecontainer, namelythe parts 17 and 28, and the sealing ring usuallyescapes without any appreciable injury or distortion and without beingforced open by the shock.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A device for securing covers to containers, comprising a strip formedto provide an annular band of inverted U-shape and of uniform exteriordimensions, the flange of said cover being adapted to be containedwithin the U-shaped portion of said strip, and a portion of the stripbeing reinforced by transverse corrugations.

2. In a device for securing covers to containers, comprising a striphaving a portion thereof corrugated at intervals around the strip andhaving the ends thereof brought into overlapping relation to provide acon- .tinuous band, theflange of saidcover being adapted to be embracedby the U-shaped portion of said strip, and the corrugations of theoverlapped portions of said strip being adaptedto provide secure lockingengagement between the end portions of said strip.

3. A device for securing covers to containers, comprising a strip havingapiportion thereof corrugated throughout the length of the strip andhaving the ends thereof brought into overlapped relation to provide acontinuous band, the flange of said cover being adapted to be embracedby and contained within the U-shaped portion of said strip,

5 er, comprising an annular body having a portion formed to embrace acontainer cover, a corrugated portion for embracing the seam, and aportion adapted to be moved after assembly into engagement'with thecover seam for securing the cover and container in fixed relation.

5. A cover sealing band for containers having a cover forming a seamwith the container, comprising an annular body having a a corrugatedportion for embracing the seam, and a curled portion adapted to be movedlaterally into engagement with the can body.

6. A cover sealing band for containers having a cover forming a seamwith the contain.-

' er, comprising an annular body having a portion formed to embrace acontainer cover, a corrugated'portion for embracing the seam, and acurled portion adapted to be moved laterally into engagement with thecan body, said strip being apertured to facilitate the removal thereof.I

7. A container for heavy materials, comprising, a body jhaving itsopposite ends formed to unlike diameters, a closure permanently seamedto one of said ends, a closure for the opposite end, and means forremoyably securing said closure to said end, said means comprising asheet metal band formed to extend about said closure and adapted to bebent into interlocking engagement with the end of the container, saidband bein reinforced by corrugation in the periphery thereof.

8. A container for heavy materials, comportion formed to embrace acontainer cover,

to permit engagement thereof by the claws of ahammer or like tool forprying the band from the container to remove the closure, said bandhaving corrugated and lapped ends.

10. A container comprising a body having a bead at the top said beadhaving a substantially flat bottom, a head having a portion extendingover the bead, and a sealing rin for securely fastening and sealing thecover aving a flange extending inwardly over said portion of the headand terminating in a bead spaced from the panel of said head, said ringfurther having a continuous downward flange crimped inward beneath saidbead.

said bead having a substantially flat bottom, a cover fitted to thecontainer and having an outwardly extending marginal flange projectingover said bead, and a sealing ring for securely fastening and sealingthe cover and having a flange projecting inwardly over the flange of thecover, the flange of said ring terminating in a bead spaced from thepanel of said cover, said ring also having a continuous downwardlyprojecting flange bent .inwardly at substantially a right angle to saiddownwardly projecting portion of said flange beneath the bead, said ringbeing divided and having corrugated and lapped ends.

JOHN M. HOTHERSALL.

prising, a container having a curled end, a 1

cover/for said container formed to rest upon the curled end of thecontainer when assembled and a sealing band having a curled innerbottomedge and adapted to embrace a portion of the cover and the curledend of the container for locking the cover to the container, said coverbeing formed to provide an annular channel into which said band mayextend and said channelbeing of suflicient size to permit engagement ofsaid edge of the band by a tool to facilitate the removal of the band,said. band having corrugated and lapped ends.

9. A container for heavy materials, comprising, a container having acurled end, a cover for said container formed to rest upon the curled.end of the container when assem bled, and a sealing band adapted toembrace go a portion of the cover and the curled end of the containerfor locking the cover to the container, said band being substantially ofU- shape in cross-section and having curled edges, each of said curlededges being spaced 66 from the container and cover after assembly 11. Acontainer having a bead at the top-

